The Six Basic Concepts of Conflict

My discoveries in and around emergence first began to surface in 1995. At the time, I had been writing a book about why people hide their spiritual beliefs. Somewhere in the midst of this process then, I sat down to write about the spiritual topic and found myself writing down the six ideas I am about to tell you. At the time, I had no idea how powerful these ideas were or where that they would change my whole life.

Right from the start, this was a very strange process. I often felt like someone else was doing the writing even though Id be reluctant to say I knew for sure. None the less, I often felt like it wasn't my fingers on the keyboard.

Coincidentally, as part of the original book on spiritual beliefs, I had interviewed an artist friend right before this happened. I had asked him how he knew when a painting was done. He told me he knew he was done when he got what he called an "aha" experience; that he knew he was done when he could look at the painting and feel surprised by what he saw, as if he was not the one who painted it.

Six years later and I would come to realize that the "little surprise" is the hallmark of an emergence. At the time, though, I hadn't even learned to recognize emergences let alone the finer points.

In any event, "aha" is exactly what I felt when I first read back what I have come to call, "The Six Concepts." To this day, I have no idea where they came from or how they emerged in the midst of a book on spiritual beliefs. But wherever they came from, from the time I first read them, they have entirely changed the way I think and feel about each and every life experience, past, present, and future.

What I have also come to carry in my consciousness each day is the single "thread" which connects these and all things in our world. This thread is what I call, "the two that are one," my shorthand for essential ingredient contained within these six ideas which together describe the true nature of the world we live in including the source of all of our conflict as well as the way to heal it.

Then there are those days wherein I can only approach these ideas in metaphor. On these days, I see these six ideas as the bridges between the physical and the non-physical, between heaven and earth, and between our minds and our hearts. Perhaps the spiritual beliefs I was writing about are these.

However you see the six concepts please know this; everything I have written about here on the site began with these six ideas and with the assumption on which they are built: everything in our world is a two that are one, and any teachings which encourage people to devalue either world; in other words, any teachings which encourage people to love the spirit more than the body or visa versa, will, to the degree that people follow them, prevent these people from healing, and from learning, and from loving each other. How? Because as long as we live in this world, we will always be equal parts physical body and non-physical body, equal parts head and heart. This is what it means to be "alive." Further, to be alive we must be these two things concurrently, not just as the sum of the two parts but as both in the same moment. Only in this way, can a nature be created, the special "more than the sum of the parts" part, the part that makes us each unique and beautiful.

Now, if what you have just read seems strange or odd, please, do not worry. Learning to understand or even believing in the the "two that are one" is in no way a prerequisite for benefiting from what is on the site. On the other hand, please know that these ideas are the body and soul of all things necessary to heal and learn to love. As such, I very much invite you to explore these six simple ideas, regardless of your degree of interest. In fact, the "keys" to the whole kingdom literally lie within these six simple ideas. Please, come and explore them for yourself.

The Six Basic Concepts Of Conflict

The Heart

The place that contains everything we can actually or potentially measure, the place with physical dimensions.

The two places in which all human beings coexist, equally and concurrently. Together, these two places make up the "whole world."

The place that contains everything we can not actually or potentially measure, the place without physical dimensions.

Any mental construct, and "thinking" experience.

From the moment in which people create them, thoughts exist as actual entities in the material world.

Thoughts are the language spoken by the "head."

The two ways in which human beings communicate about their existence.

Any non-mental construct, any "feeling" experience.

From the moment in which people create them, emotions exist as actual entities in the spiritual world.

Emotions are the language spoken by the "heart."

The drive, based on a love of the material world, to have well ordered thoughts.

It is the desire to exist without "mental disorganization;" meaning, the desire to be mentally conscious. It is the "minds" most basic "need."

The principal forces which propel us through life and drive us toward consciously existing in both worlds.

The drive, based on a love of the spiritual world, to coexist in spiritual unity with all things.

It is the desire to exist without "spiritual separateness;" meaning, the desire to be spiritually conscious. It is the heart's most basic "need."

The force which causes people to have disordered thoughts. As an obstacle, disorganization exists only in the material world and is the mental half of the state of being called "suffering."

The primary forces which impede our efforts to become conscious; in other words, the forces which impair our abilities to become consciousness.

The force which causes people to feel isolated and disconnected from others. As an obstacle, separateness exists only in the spiritual world and is the emotional half of the state of being called "suffering."

In the material world, people use separation to organize their thoughts. In its more evolved iterations, material world separation is called "science."

Since organization is the material world's motive, people who use material world separation to increase their material world consciousness. Material world separation is essentially the material world half of the state of being known as "trance."

As defined above, motives push us forward toward being more conscious. The Positive Efforts, then, are how we act on those pushes.

They are also the complimentary opposites of each world's Negative Efforts, and as such, create one half of the war between sense and soul.

In the spiritual world, people use unity to embrace and honor a fuller range of emotional life. In its more evolved iterations, spiritual world unity is called "religion."

Since at oneness is the spiritual world's motive, people use spiritual world unity to increase their spiritual world consciousness. Spiritual world unity is essentially the spiritual world half of the state of being known as "trance."

In the material world, people use unity (in the form of undifferentiated thoughts, or "generalizations") to distance themselves from the pain of unresolved mental decisions.

Since disorganization is the material world's obstacle, people who use material world unity decrease their material world consciousness. Here, unity is essentially the material world half of the state of being known as"shock."

As defined above, obstacles impair our efforts to become more conscious. The Negative Efforts, then, are how we act on those pushes.

They are also the complimentary opposites of each world's Positive Efforts, and as such, create one half of the war between sense and soul.

In the spiritual world, people use separation (in the form of measuring the spiritual worth of things) to distance themselves from the pain of unresolved emotional experiences.

Since separateness is the spiritual world's obstacle, people who use spiritual world separation decrease their spiritual world consciousness. Here, separation is essentially the spiritual world half of the state of being known as "shock."